Shortly after sponsor NAPA announced that it was pulling its sponsorship from his organization, team co-owner Michael Waltrip apologized for crossing the line of fair play at Richmond International Raceway Sept. 7.

Michael Waltrip Racing was fined a record $300,000 and MWR drivers Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. were docked 50 points each for the organization trying to manipulate the outcome of the final regular-season race at Richmond. Truex, NAPA’s driver, also was kicked out of the Chase after MWR made two questionable moves to try to get him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Michael Waltrip apologized for his team's action at Richmond that resulted in driver Martin Truex Jr. being kicked out of the Chase. (AP Photo)

After reviewing the incidents, longtime MWR sponsor NAPA announced Thursday morning that it was pulling its support from the team following this season.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page Thursday, the company said: "After thorough consideration, NAPA has made the difficult decision to end its sponsorship arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing effective December 31, 2013. NAPA believes in fair play and does not condone actions such as those that led to the penalties assessed by NASCAR. We remain supportive of the millions of NASCAR fans and will evaluate our future position in motorsports."

Shortly after the announcement, MWR released a statement saying that it respected NAPA’s decision and planned to continue fielding three Sprint Cup teams with other sponsors.

Waltrip, who has been sponsored by NAPA since 2001, then released his own statement about the company and his team.

“NAPA has been with me from winning two Daytona 500s to missing races with a new start-up team, and back to victory lane again,” Waltrip said. “The relationship grew far past that of just a sponsor, but more of a partner and a friend. We will not be racing a NAPA car in 2014, but I have friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Waltrip then apologized for the actions of his team. Though he apologized immediately after his team was penalized, neither Waltrip nor the team admitted any wrongdoing then.

On Thursday, Waltrip apologized for crossing the line at Richmond.

“To the fans and those who made their voice heard through social media, as the owner, I am responsible for all actions of MWR,” Waltrip said. “I sincerely apologize for the role our team played and for the lines NASCAR has ruled were crossed by our actions at Richmond. NASCAR met with the competitors in Chicago and we all know how we are expected to race forward.”

With Truex battling to make the Chase, Bowyer spun with seven laps remaining at Richmond to bring out a caution flag. Though Bowyer denied it, the spun looked and was perceived by many to be intentional. MWR general manager Ty Norris then ordered driver Brian Vickers to pit prior to the final restart, allowing Joey Logano to gain positions on the track, which helped both Logano and Truex make the Chase.

Two days later, NASCAR hit MWR with some of the most severe penalties in the sport’s history. As a result of the penalties, Truex was removed from the Chase and replaced by Ryan Newman. Jeff Gordon also was later added to the Chase as a 13th driver.

On Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR met with all drivers and teams and laid out new rules for how drivers and teams should race in respect to helping teammates on the track.

Waltrip and MWR never acknowledged that Bowyer spun intentionally, only referencing the Vickers incident and initially apologizing for the impact of its actions.

“What occurred on the No. 55 (Vickers) radio at the end of Saturday night’s race in Richmond was a split-second decision made by team spotter Ty Norris to bring the No. 55 (Vickers) to pit lane and help a teammate earn a place in the Chase,” Waltrip said. “We regret the decision and its impact. We apologize to NASCAR, our fellow competitors, partners and fans who were disappointed in our actions.”